Circles
by zulka
Summary: Introspective look at Hiromi, before Beyblade, during, and after. One-shot.


**Notes:** This story is an introspective piece on Hiromi, no pairings, during V-Force and G-Rev for the first part. The second part of it is set Post G-Rev beginning with number 36, and the bolded 'TWO'. I am using the Japanese names, for most characters. As for their beyblades, in Japanese their bitbeasts have names apart from their blades. So their blades have names and so do their bit beasts. I'm not too sure about Daichi's bit beast having a separate name from his blade, all I know is that it is Gaia Dragoon, not Strata. Also, in the original they say 'Go Shoot' not 'Let it Rip'.

Here are the names if you are not familiar with them:  
 **Hiromi** (Hilary), **Takao** (Tyson), **Kai** (Kai), **Max(** Max), **Rei** (Ray), **Kyoujyo** (Kenny/Chief)

 **Yuriy** (Tala), **Daichi** (Daichi), **Borg** (Boris), **Yuuya** (Wyatt)

For their bit beasts in Japanese:  
 **Seiryuu** (Dragoon), **Genbu** (Draciel), **Suzaku** (Dranzer), **Byakko** (Driger)

Their blades in Japanese are called:  
Dragoon, Draciel, Dranzer, and Driger (i'm sure you know who they would belong to).

 **Circles  
** by: zulka  
Hiromi-Centric

* * *

 **ONE**

* * *

 **1.**

The first man to break her heart is her father. When she is six, he walks out leaving her and her mom behind. She cries until she is nine and decides that she's done. She won't cry anymore and she definitely won't miss and _hope_ anymore. She can still hear her mom cry at night. It makes her heart ache, but she pushes it away. She doesn't _need_ him.

 **2.**

When she is in eighth grade, she is class president. She is on top of her studies. They are the only things she has control over. They mean everything to her because this is the way she is going to leave and _get_ somewhere. She is fourteen and she meets Kinomiya Takao for the first time, _kind of._ She's known about him, knows him, but his fame and big ego _annoy_ her. But if she's honest, she is actually jealous. Takao is everything that she isn't, everything she wishes she _was._ She can't help but feel little and insecure in his presence. So she lashes out, and is mean, and overbearing.

 **3.**

Kyoujyo finds her amicable and smart and _annoying._ But he accepts her and that is more than Hiromi can ask or hope for. But she's not going to say that out loud. She is after all, _tough._ When she was nine she decided that she was going to be no damsel in distress. So she keeps her front up, her fake confidence to hide all the insecurities in her heart. She has to admit, Takao's life is interesting. It's _exciting._ She can't help but stay, even though she's unwanted. It's a change from her lackluster life.

She meets Hiwatari Kai on an afternoon, when Takao is fighting a random kid with a spinning top, because that is all the word _Beyblade_ means to her: unreasonable game of spinning tops. She doesn't _get_ it. She's a sensible girl, rational, she's levelheaded because it's this type of mindset that has managed to get her to where she is now.

She decides, as the sun sets and paints everything orange, that she doesn't like Kai. Kai is rude. She was _nice._ The tough girl that she is scoffs at it, who _needs_ him anyways. The tough girl that she isn't is disappointed and wants to know what's wrong _with_ her. Obviously, there must be _something_ if people keep rejecting her.

Rei, is nice. She likes Rei. But Rei doesn't pay her any attention, not really. But he wasn't rude like Kai. That, she says to herself, is enough. But deep down, she knows that it isn't.

Max, she decides, is her favorite. He catches her off guard with the cute comment, the tough girl brushes it off with an awkward 'umm what?' but the girl inside is blushing. When Kyoujyo comments that Max is like that with most girls, she hurts _a little._ But Max, is still her favorite, because Max is _there._ Max is _nice._ Max _tries._ The others don't.

 **4.**

Hiromi realizes early on that she is an outsider. Once the team is back together, it is about _them._ Best friends forever, Hiromi not included. She can't help but envy them and once more she is reminded of all the things she wishes she was but isn't. Of all the things Takao is. But she pushes the thoughts away, and joins Kyoujyo every morning to go to Takao's.

Her excuse sounds weak even to herself. But she'll stand by it. She wants to know who was behind her kidnapping, after all she almost got _killed._ Takao doesn't want her and it stings. But she wants him or at least his life so she stays and lashes out. She learned to stand up for herself a long time ago. She's not going to tolerate him belittling her.

With the discovery of the MG Core, she finally feels like she's going to do something good. Something beneficial. She's been dying to prove her _worth._ So she stays up and works with Kyoujyo after the boys completely fail. Basics. That's what they find. She is excited because finally she's gotten her chance. But when the paper rips, she feels her heart ripping with it. She wants to cry because she was trying to _help_ and all Takao did was throw it back in her face. But she's tough and she's not going to cry in front of him. So she blinks back the tears and says 'Fine.' She's done. Who _needs_ them anyways? She doesn't and walks away.

 **5.**

She wants an apology. She's waiting for Takao to apologize because it was _his_ fault. She hasn't gone to practice because of it. She thinks that maybe, she's waiting in vain. But she's not going to _break_ and go to the dojo.

But she gets no apology. She feels a bit heartbroken, just a _little_ bit. But she is hurt nonetheless and gets angry. When Takao meets her on the trail by the river with a fully functional beyblade, she wants to laugh and say 'I knew it.' But she remembers she's angry and decides to turn away. But he apologizes and the other boys want her to come and _help._ Even Kai is smiling, kind of. And she feels amazing because it's the first time in her life that she feels _wanted_ by someone other than her mom.

She takes her job as coach seriously, like everything else in her life. She wants them in top shape if they are going to fight with their bey-thingies. She still doesn't quite get it but she's starting to _like_ the boys. They are starting to feel like _friends._ Except Takao and maybe Kai. She's not sure if she can call Kai a friend. She would like to, but she's not sure.

The next big thing comes with those bit-thingies. Apparently they are amazing and she doesn't get it either. She doesn't _see_ anything. Takao teases her and makes fun of her and she punches him for being so _dumb._ But Takao hits his mark, when he says that maybe they _don't_ like her. Well what's new? That's the story of her life.

But she's nothing if not determined. So she trains with the guys and matches them step by step. She was no damsel, and if need be she decided that she would be the prince who would slay the dragon. So she matched them. In the end, when Rei is fighting and Byakko is getting hurt, she realizes she wants nothing more than for Byakko to be _okay._ She doesn't know Byakko, has never seen him, but she _wants_ him to be okay so badly her heart hurts. She figures it's because she cares so much about Rei and Rei cares so much for this bit-thingy she can't see. She doesn't know what it is. But she sees something and points it out. What happens next, she's not entirely too sure about, and it's not going to be the first or last time.

But she thinks she's sure about something, and that is that Byakko is okay. It makes her happy. When Max mentions that she saw a bit-thingy, she's surprised, and she realizes that Yes, she did see _something_ and that was _it._ When Max credits her with saving the day, she feels _special._ She hasn't felt special since her birthday when she turned six and the chocolate cake ended up in the trash untouched.

 **6.**

When they end up in the island, she's scared and excited. The crazy scientists want the boys to battle, when they accept she's confused. The sensible thing to do is go to the lighthouse and _get_ help. She's nothing if not sensible. When Kai volunteers to go with them, she's stunned and kind of shy but _grateful_. Kai is a mystery to her. Sometimes she wishes to unravel him and other times she wants to leave him as is.

Out of them all, she didn't expect Kai to come with them. Perhaps she expected Takao to do it, or Max but not Kai. When Kai saves her and Kyoujyo, she realizes that Kai isn't _that_ bad. And when she looks at the rockslide she's not sure what to do. So she looks to Kai to guide her and tell her what to do. He seems like the type that knows what to do in every situation. In that instance, she wishes that she was somewhat like Kai.

 **8.**

When Takao is fighting even though he is injured, she wants him to stop because it's all manners of crazy. Is beyblading more important than his health? She doesn't _get_ it. Kai stops her and tells her to leave it be, Takao is determined, it's something he _has_ to do, for Seiryuu. She looks at Takao and sees what Kai means. She still doesn't quite understand but she's sorry. She'll leave Takao alone for now.

 **9.**

When Yuuya shows up looking for Kai, she's not sure what to think. Kai rejects him and she thinks that maybe, Kai just rejects everyone. She still doesn't _get_ Kai. When Yuuya shows up again and goes crazy, and then _dies_ , she sees a glimmer of _something_ in Kai. She's not sure what it is, but she knows it's _there_ even though it's _faint._ She thinks then that Kai isn't as unbreakable as he seems. This boy does feel, but his feelings are so faint that he probably _overlooks_ them too.

 **10.**

The first major fallout between the boys has her worried, clutching her hands to her chest because this _can't_ be happening. She doesn't understand really, and Takao is being so insensitive she wants to scream and she does and he screams right back.

Takao has always made her feel unwelcome. He's really good at that. But it doesn't matter, even though she is an outsider looking in, she realizes that the boys have been friends for too long. She can't let them fight over silly things.

So she rolls up her sleeves, asks Grandpa for help and sets out on a mission. It was time to patch things up. Maybe they would have done it by themselves, she can't be sure. She doesn't know them _that_ well yet. But she decides to give them that extra push to hurry them along. It works. She's happy. Things are back to how they _should_ be.

 **11.**

Salima speaks about beyblading in a way she could have never imagined. It sounds _romantic_. Takao ruins the moment, as Takao is bound to do. For the boys, beyblading is hard, rash, pure adrenaline flowing, and thunder like booms.

When Kane and the others end up being enemies she's not too sure what to think. Takao feels betrayed, so does Rei. Kai wants revenge, Max is going to protect Genbu no matter what. Kyoujyo gives the advise. Her? She's just there. Cheering. Sometimes she wonders about that too. She never pictured herself as a cheerleader.

When the building collapses, she can't help but yell for Takao. As infuriating as he is, he's grown on her. She's not sure what she would do if he died. Not necessarily because she likes him _likes_ him. But because he holds everything she would love to be and have.

 **12.**

She goes to New York for the first time when she is fourteen. It is the first time she is traveling out of Japan. She is excited. Nervous. She knows she's a tag-along but Beyblade is _growing_ on her. That has to count for something right? It is not just the excitement now, but she actually cares. The boys don't object to her going. She takes that as a good sign; maybe she's growing on them too? When she meets Max's mom, no one introduces her so she's force to introduce herself and she can't help but feel put off. It's about the _boys_ , Hiromi not included.

But Beyblading is getting more exciting by the minute, and now she doesn't want to leave. If possible she would like to get more _involved._

 **13.**

Rock and bit beasts and Takao still makes fun of her and Kai and Kyoujyo explain things to her when she's confused and somewhere between rock bit beasts, crazy scientists and cold shoulders she realizes that Beyblade is _not_ an unreasonable game of spinning tops. Sure, the boys' devotion to it confuses her because it's so _not_ sensible, but she'll give them the benefit of the doubt. But she will still nag to Takao about school because it's _important._

 **14.**

When Rei loses Byakko, she realizes that the bond between the boys is stronger than she first thought. She realizes then, that she will always be an outsider to these boys, to this _bond_. She's not really sure how she feels about it. But everyone is trying so _hard_ , to get Byakko back. She wishes she could do something, _anything._ As it stands, she still doesn't get many things.

She decides, when she sees Byakko returning to Rei that she has indeed witnessed something really _special_ and amazing and _miraculous._ She's happy for Rei.

 **15.**

She thinks that, all this chasing and fighting random people is getting really tedious. Obviously, if by now they haven't succeeded, they won't. She's seen the boys train, has even trained with them, and the only way to get the bit beasts would be over their dead bodies. But they'd have to get through her first. But still, there are those moments where she can't help but _doubt._

Deep down she is still an insecure little girl who wants attention, who wants _love_ , who needs to be appreciated.

When Zeo shows up, complete Takao fanboy, she can't help but smile. This kid wants to beyblade so badly. She's happy when the group accepts him, and deep down she feels a slight twinge of jealousy. Her acceptance hadn't been that easy.

 **16.**

She screams because the ground is no longer beneath her. Her heart feels like it stops and a cold chill goes through her. She's expecting to hit the water anytime and when she doesn't she looks up to see Kai holding her. She's shocked that the only thing she can say is his name. Obviously there is more to this boy than meets the eye.

The water is cold as it crashes against her and she squeaks. It takes Max and Takao to help her up. She breathes a sigh of relief. That was _too_ close.

 **17**.

Zeo turns out to be a traitor. Kai says not to go after him and she sees Takao struggling with following Zeo or listening to Kai. Kai, Hiromi realizes, is an observer. He does not do things without thinking them through. Takao, rushes into things following a big, soft, heart. Kai, follows his head. She's not too sure what she follows, but she likes to think that she makes her own choices. Tough girls do that don't they?

She's not sure how Takao does it; she wishes he could teach her. His heart is always open, always forgiving. Her heart, is tender, hurt, and still broken. She doesn't like to listen to it because it whispers little things about her dad. Her mind likes to mock her every once in a while, it likes to remind her that she's no good. That she's annoying, and that's why the other kids don't like her too much. It happens a lot at night when she's trying to fall asleep. In those moments, she lets the stars dictate how her life should be.

She wants to be like Takao. She wants to be like Kai. There are times when she wants to take what she likes from each boy and put them in herself. She wants to be _better._

 **18.**

She goes to find Kai when he doesn't show up. She's worried, honest to god worried. When she finds him, he's looking out into the ocean. She speaks or tries to and she's shocked to hear that he's leaving the sport. This doesn't make sense at all. Suddenly she's upset because she figured he was _stronger_ than that.

So she starts talking to him about this and that and when he tells her to 'get lost' she loses it. So she lets him have it straight, he can't be so selfish and petty. He can't give up on the others because they certainly aren't going to give up on him. They are going to fight for him and Suzaku, in the same way he fought for Byakko.

When he doesn't respond, she's angry, but it's mostly disappointment. She's disappointed because she thought he was better than this. She wanted him to be better than this. She _needed_ him to be better, to be stronger, and to be the Kai she can look up to. Because if he's lost, what does that make her?

 **19.**

When Takao wins, she can't help but feel _proud._ She's proud because she _knows_ this boy who is amazing. She feels proud because she knows this group of boys, who are stronger than she could ever hope to be. Hiromi feels happiness bubbling inside of her because she is _friends_ with them. She is outside, but she is still a friend. Perhaps they'll have their own bond, a bond separate from that first bond. She's not too sure, but in the deepest part of her broken heart, she _hopes_.

 **20.**

When she is fifteen, she feels her fake confidence start to become real. She is _fifteen_ , and she feels that perhaps it is okay to _let go._ She is not an adult, but that predisposition is somewhat hard to leave behind. Because for a time she was, she was the caretaker of a broken mother who was trying to put herself back together.

She is fifteen and Max is still her favorite, Rei is more talkative, Kai is still Kai, and Takao is not as annoying but his ego keeps getting bigger. So when she sits with Kyoujyo, she can't help but root for the underdog. There is something about little kids, and their hopes and dreams that just reach out to that slowly mending heart of hers.

She is still quick to get angry though, especially when she's called 'grandma' by that annoying brat.

 **21.**

She's not sure when the boys became _her_ boys. But that is what they are to her. They are _her boys._ She loves them and she wants for this time to never end. She wants to stay with them and have this friendship last forever.

But her boys have other ideas, other things to pursue, and her heart is once again broken when they all decide to leave. She can't help but feel like she's being _left behind_ and she can't help but think of a chocolate cake in the trash can.

But she holds her head up strong, and stays by Takao's side. Takao, she could see, though she did not acknowledge, was hurting too. It made her even sadder, because Takao was made for other things, things that were _not_ sad.

 **22.**

She gets a taste of betrayal, when Kai leaves. Betrayal tastes bitter; she found that out early on in life. But she cannot hate her boys. She simply _cannot_. In that same way she can't leave them, she can't leave Takao. Somehow, and she's not sure how it happened, but the boys have become her crutch.

She's nothing if not loyal, she'll stand by Takao and his team. They were after all, her first friends, before the others came along.

She's not always fond of Daichi, but she does root for the underdog. Daichi holds things, she wishes she held still. Daichi, is innocent. Things for Daichi are simple. To her things are no longer simple, they are no longer innocent, she doesn't want to see change in Daichi. Change _hurts_ too much.

 **23.**

She has an image to uphold. That of a bossy, not so sensitive, tough girl. But she is sensitive, she's not necessarily tough _tough_. But she's finding new things. At the tournament, she finds her insecurities again. Things and whispers she thought she left behind. Whispers about her _worth_ , about the other girls who are so amazing and are actually there to _participate,_ when compared to them, who is she?

She's a Beyblade fan, a blossoming Beyblade mechanic. Kyoujyo is teaching her the basics of a Beyblade, the parts, how to fix, how it works, how to replace attack rings and other things. She has learned about strategy and statistics. The harder things, like the core, rotations, Kyoujyo takes care of it with his laptop. She's technologically challenged.

Sure, she doesn't Beyblade but she's _not_ useless. She doesn't like being useless, so she learns all she can. Plus, she loves the sport. That is enough reason to be there, no?

 **24.**

She loves watching her boys battle. There is nothing romantic about watching them battle but at the same time there is. There is passion, there is determination and strength, there is _beauty_ in the way they handle their blades, in the way they move and attack. It is like a dance, a beautiful deadly dance. Their battles are adrenaline pumping, earth shattering booms. They're explosive. She watches enthralled because she has never seen anything like this before. This, she realizes, is what Beyblading is all about. _This_ is Beyblading at its best. These are her boys at their best, at their most _raw_.

She comes to a realization as she watches the spirits battle it all out. There is a bond between the spirits and her boys. A bond so strong it makes her heart beat fast and ache. She realizes that not all the bladers have this bond. But her boys do. It makes her smile.

Her boys give everything they have to their spirits, and the spirits give everything they have back, she has never seen anything more wonderful, more _beautiful_. She thinks then that maybe this is what unconditional love is.

 **25.**

Every once in a while she'll try to analyze herself and her actions.

Yes she's bossy. She acts like too much of an adult sometimes, always nagging and nagging like a mother. But she had felt like a mother at one point, or at least a caregiver. She had to do her homework. Had to make sure her mother ate. Had to learn how to cook and in the process discovered a box with family recipes that burned the tongue.

For a little while she had to make sure her mother was _there._ Her greatest fear was coming home and finding her gone. It wasn't until she was thirteen that her mother finally began taking care of _her,_ again. But it wasn't the same. For all that they spoke, they never really said anything.

Her values and priorities are different from the boys, especially Takao. It takes her a little while to figure that out. Beyblade is first, second and last for these boys. School is first, second, and last for Hiromi. And somewhere in between the last tournament and this new one, Beyblade started coming first and school second.

 **26.**

She's still a sensible girl. She is still rational. She is learning to let go, to have _fun_. But as she watches Takao and Kai battle, she's worried. When they tie, she wants them to stop; it's the sensible thing to do. But they don't because this battle means _so much._ But she thinks that they could also lose a lot.

Takao and Kai fighting is beautiful, she has to admit. Kai is resilient, relentless, powerful, determined, and passionate. Takao, she realizes, is the same, but his passion is different than Kai's. She's not sure about the outcome.

In this moment, she thinks that if Kai ever fell in love with someone, that someone would be very _very_ lucky, she imagines that Kai will love the same way he blades. If he ever does, she wishes to meet that person.

When Dranzer stops spinning, she stays back for a bit, and watches Takao and Kai from a distance before she rushes down to congratulate Takao. When she turns, Kai is gone. Ever so elusive.

 **27.**

She is learning to be her age, fifteen, a girl, she's always believed in fashion. She teases, she laughs, and she jokes. When she was thirteen she didn't think she'd ever get here. She didn't think she'd ever be happy again. The boys didn't come back. Max is in town, but hasn't visited. Rei went back to China. Kai is missing. Her heart feels sad because of it.

She doesn't completely feel whole when they are gone.

But Takao, Kyoujyo and Daichi are still there. Team BBA. They have their own bond.

 **28**.

BEGA threatens everything the boys love. BEGA wants for Beyblading to go PRO. Takao doesn't know what to think, but she knows that the thought is very appealing. All of them do. It takes Takao's Grandpa to pull the rug from under them so that they can see clearly. But temptation is still there.

It takes Team Neoborg for them to see the truth.

When she met Yuriy Ivanov, she didn't think much of him. He was good looking definitely. Yuriy was cocky and could be a bully. Definitely one of those who loved to raise your hackles, but at the park, she met a different Yuriy.

This Yuriy was determined, was all no nonsense, and spoke in riddles. This Yuriy, seemed wiser about fame and things like going Pro. He was determined to stop Borg at all costs and didn't need help, didn't want help. This was _his_ battle.

She and the rest sat wondering about Beyblading and the heart. Takao saw the answer. Being a Pro didn't _mean_ anything and it wasn't going to make him _better._ With renewed beliefs they chase after Yuriy.

Yuriy. His name is on their lips as they watch him fall. Stop Borg at all costs.

Yuriy believes in things that she can't see, he knows Borg in ways Kai doesn't even imagine. But what she does see is that Beyblade means a lot more to Yuriy and he's not going to let Borg distort it. No matter what.

In that moment, Hiromi has found another boy to respect and love. She could fall for Yuriy in more ways than one.

 **29.**

She feels like cold water has just been splashed on her and Takao and the whole team, as she watches Kai leave them _again_. She's not going to lie, her heart breaks. Does Yuriy and his sacrifice mean nothing? Were they not teammates? What exactly does Beyblade mean to Kai, if he's willing to side with those who want to destroy its very essence?

 **30.**

BEGA is taking _over_. Ming Ming annoys her. She remembers that one time when they didn't allow her in with the boys. Another reminder that she wasn't one of them, it didn't seem to bother them though. It's those little moments that make her heart ache just a tiny bit.

She hates Ming Ming. Every time she thinks about her, she can't help but get angry. She's not entirely sure why she hates Ming Ming.

Ming Ming is famous, Ming Ming is loved, Ming Ming can beyblade. Hiromi doesn't like to admit it but she's envious.

 **31.**

She is surprised and not when the other teams come to help them out. She has run all over the town looking for parts, trying all sorts of things because she doesn't want to let the guys down. She has found nothing though.

But she has seen a boy get crushed and her anger gets the better of her. The boy has not joined the BEGA club and already the other kids are telling him that only the good bladers are in BEGA. She will not forgive BEGA for this.

So when the other teams show up, she's happy. They understand what the fight means. But she can't help feel insecure in the presence of the girls. All beautiful, all amazing, all good bladers. She's just a cheerleader/mechanic who helps in the kitchen.

Her deepest wish is to be part of the team. Her first attempt at Beyblading however, is a complete failure, embarrassing and humiliating. She can't snap out of her stupor.

 **32.**

She watches as Takao frantically shakes the television. Kai is hurt. Kai lost. Her heart wants to rip itself from her chest. Kai and Takao often give her the most pain. But there is nothing they can do. There is nothing she can do.

She realizes that Takao is stalling. He does not want to choose the fifth member. She's not sure what he's waiting for. As they sit in the bench next to a masked Granpa, she feels embarrassed. She's always been self-conscious. Her confidence is still not completely real, there are times when it goes back to being fake.

 **33.**

She's not sure that they can win for a moment.

Max gives them time.

Kai saves them with a battle that she will remember forever. She will remember tears, she will remember care, she will remember promises made and kept. She will remember fear. Beyblading is more than just a game. Kai gives them his all and keeps nothing for himself. It makes her heart break in a good way, but it still hurts.

It is in that moment, when he falls and Takao catches him that she realizes that Kai is self-sacrificing. Kai is noble. Kai is _beautiful_ and she loves him all the more for it. If only she, could be more like him.

She knows then, that this Kai is the one that Takao always sees. This is why Takao believes in Kai and always will. No matter what. Takao and Kai's friendship, she wants something like that.

 **34.**

Takao surprises her all the time. Takao will always follow his heart. She will follow her head, listen to her heart second. So when Brooklyn has managed to destroy the stadium and the city, the rational thing to do would be to leave, find shelter. Be safe.

But Takao says no. Takao is determined to go find Brooklyn, Takao is determined to save him. Takao wants to give Brooklyn friendship. He wants to show Brooklyn what Beyblading is all about; he wants Brooklyn to find his beyblading spirit.

Kai tells him to follow his path.

She smiles. Takao's words make her heart swell. It makes it ache too. For all the dumb things he says and does, when it really _really_ matters, Takao _gets_ it. Takao's heart is full of love, full of faith, full of forgiveness and second chances. This is something he _has_ to do. He wouldn't be Takao if he didn't. She'll back him up one hundred percent, and so will the others.

 **35.**

Beyblading.

It has changed her life.

She _gets_ it, now.

She's not sure what the new tournament will bring. But at the moment, as she and the others search for Takao and Kai, she wants this moment to last forever. She wants these feelings to stay with her. She wants the strength of her boys to never leave her. She feels worthy when she is with them, valued, appreciated. She feels loved and _wanted_ , most of the time.

She doesn't want to leave them, she is fifteen and she wants to cling to them forever.

When they find Kai and Takao, she's not surprised they are going to battle. Promises need to be kept. A battle between Kai and Takao? She wouldn't miss it for the world.

* * *

 **TWO**

* * *

 **36.**

But at night, her heart still bleeds a little. At night she still feels a little bit empty. She is in ninth grade. In the morning her mother catches her and asks about school. _High school._ But she wants to spend her time with the boys. Not think about high school and university yet. The boys are going to leave soon. She wants the moments to last.

But she says nothing and looks at the window. _Entrance examinations._ _Cram school_.

 _Why are you wasting time?_

The boys will stay a bit longer to help with the rebuilding of the BBA. She leaves them earlier and goes to walk in the park. School was first, second and third before Beyblading came into her life, before the boys appeared.

She knew the moments couldn't last.

 **37.**

She will always love her boys. She watches them as they train little kids. She watches as their bond grows and hers remains the same and she can't help but feel slightly bitter. But she can't hate them. She knows things don't last forever, no matter how much you wish. Eventually they are all going to move on. This time, she doesn't want to be left behind. She leaves then, with a simple goodbye. If she stays a bit longer she'll cry.

 _Cram school._

 _Entrance Examinations._

She has a lot to prepare for. She's a tough girl. Has never given in, and she hopes that the strength borrowed from the boys lasts for a while, enough for her to find her own. Takao can stand now, but she can't.

 **38.**

Kyoujyo asks her what happened. She hasn't been going to practice. She tells him, cram school. Entrance examinations. They will enter high school next year. Depending on your scores, you would be placed in a high school. Takao looks at her nervously.

She sees the boys every once in a while. She's not surprised to find that Kai is gone already. She wishes she could have seen him one last time though. She doesn't think she'll see Hiwatari Kai again. Her chest hurts at that. She wishes him well, wherever he may be.

She doesn't end up in the same high school as Takao, or Kyoujyo. All three of them end up separated. Max has gone back to America. Rei has gone back to China. She feels empty. When the new tournament comes around, she wants to go with Takao, but school has gone back to being first. The other guys are not part of the team. G-Revolutions came to life to save Beyblade, now that it was safe; there was no need for the team anymore. Boys will be boys, she thinks as she watches them all try to take Takao on.

 **39.**

She is seventeen and can't stop herself from noticing the way Daisuke looks at her. It's with an intensity that makes her skin tingle and the butterflies go crazy in her stomach.

She comes undone at what he tells her. He is an upperclassman. He is cute. He makes her think of strength and worth and value and she feels wanted.

Daisuke talks about love and school and university. She can't help herself when she falls and she falls hard. She gives everything she has. Her first kiss, her first time, her first everything goes to Daisuke.

In the aftermath of everything, she feels lonely and empty. She can't help but cry.

He's her first mistake.

 **40**.

She has dinner with Takao and Kyoujyo, every once in a while. In between clubs, school and work—because she works at the sweet shop now, the dinners become less and less.

Takao and Kyoujyo volunteer and intern at the BBA during their free time. The dinners become less and less until they completely stop.

Akira is wild, unconventional, typical bad boy. Akira tells her she's pretty and that her eyes are beautiful. Hiromi is not sure what she's looking for. But Akira makes her feel grand and she can't help but feel that she's messing up again but Akira makes her feel like liquid fire and she lets herself burn.

Later she feels hollow and _stupidstupidstupid_. She decides to take pencil to paper and let all emotions out. She still cries.

 **41.**

She and Akira are on and off.

Third year of high school rolls around. She's been drawing like crazy and decides to take art. She is eighteen. This third year matters so much because this is when she has to prepare for the college exams.

Jun is an artist, he teaches her techniques, gives her tips on colors, on perspective. Jun's hands are soft and warm as they explore her body. Her kisses are needy, parched, and she drinks him in and falls into him like her life depends on it.

 **42.**

She is finishing her first year of college when she discovers that she's been looking for _her boys_ in other boys. The realization leaves her hollow. But her therapist tells her that she's been looking for love and validation, from men because her dad never gave her any. The reason she didn't leave Mamoru even though the relationship was abusive was because she didn't want to be abandoned again. The boys were her crutch. They made her forget. Without them, she's falling again.

She stays inside her room all day afterwards.

She wishes she was like her boys. _Strong_.

The strength she borrowed from them didn't last.

Something borrowed can never truly be yours.

 **43.**

She sees Hitoshi, her ex-coach, at a coffee shop. Of all the places, she didn't expect this. She then remembers a very teary reunion between said person and Takao. She even shed a few tears. She had felt that reunion deep in her bones, in her heart, in her _soul._ After that she wondered what it would be like if her dad ever came back. She pushed the thought away the moment it appeared.

Hitoshi sees her and waves. She smiles. She finds that he left to get better, to up his game. To teach boys and girls about beyblading.

Beyblading. She hasn't thought about it in a while. She asks about Takao. Hitoshi hasn't gone to see him.

Hitoshi tells her that she's not the same. She agrees with him.

All her fake confidence fell away, she's not sure when. At the moment she feels raw, unstable, lost. The small strength she had, she lost somewhere between seventeen and now.

Hitoshi looks at her and she doesn't look back. She's fallen under that same stare so _many_ times with so many other boys. Hitoshi tells her to study abroad.

 **44.**

She is twenty going on twenty-one, and in America in a coastal city in California. America makes her think of New York. It makes her think of Max and she wonders if he is here or in Japan.

She carries old photographs with her. She is twenty going on twenty-one and fourteen seems very _very_ far away. She ends up living off campus, it's cheaper.

Her housemates are all girls. She's the fourth one and she is sharing with a girl named Teresa. The other two are named Anais, and Tatti. She's nervous and excited.

She finds out early on that these girls' friends are _always_ over and it makes her think of past times at a dojo.

 **45.**

Anais is a feminist studies major, Tatti went for Anthropology, Teresa is majoring in Latin American Studies and Literature.

Her English is okay, it could be better. She feels self-conscious about it until Cynthia tells her not to, that it's completely normal. She goes on and on about things like phonemes and how Japanese is different in this and that and everyone has problems when learning a second language.

Teresa builds her confidence, teaches her how to apply makeup, and always compliments her on something or other.

Tatti, she decides is crazy, she always has something to say, is never quiet and disputes everything. Woman power.

The other people that she's gotten to know are all crazy, in a good way. She doesn't find her boys here. But she's finding something else.

 **46.**

They take her out to her first party, Teresa dolls her up, Tatti tell she's sexy. For all the things she's done, she's never drunk before, even though in Japan she's legal. Teresa takes care of her. Anais stops her when she falls for a random boy and listens when she drunkenly tells her about how empty and hollow and used she feels. Tatti hugs her and she starts crying.

The next morning she feels like her head is going to explode. Teresa gives her water and she's slightly ashamed but Tatti tells her that it's 'okay.' It happens. Anais doesn't say anything except that even in her late twenties she's still lost.

Cynthia tells her to stay away from boys for a bit and focus on herself and what she wants, she tells her to heal.

She smiles, all these girls are always talking about 'healing.' She doesn't get it.

 **47**.

She's finding new laughs and new things. She goes shopping with Teresa and her friend Rocio, it's become a custom to look for clothes for each other, things they normally wouldn't wear and then try them on. She enjoys it. She blushes whenever they tell her something brings out her eyes, or when something fits her just right that it's a 'must buy', or it's a 'sexy—girl you are hawt!'.

Anais introduces her to wine and she likes it but she'll go with her fruity drinks.

Alma takes her dancing and teaches her how to move. She's hesitant and self conscious at first, until Alma tells her to just _have_ fun. No one is going to look; no one is going to care. She lets herself go.

Tatti, introduces her to the rest of the group, among them the boys Angel, Victor, Daniel, and other names she finds it hard to keep track of.

Angel is older, like Anais. Daniel is a goof. Victor is in love with soccer. The other one, Lucas, bikes like crazy. She noticed that, people at this university are always biking. Lucas tells her that its fun, with all the hills and whatnot. She should try it. She does and realizes that there is something about going downhill, picking up speed and feeling the wind.

 **48.**

Hiromi realizes that she likes this group of strange people. She walks with them to the bus stop, stays up late with them doing homework and papers all last minute, drinking coffee to be able to stay up all night, distracting each other with the internet or facebook.

Every once in a while they all drive to the cliffs and stay by the ocean. They go there at night to watch the moon on the water, talk about boys or school. She goes on bike trails with Lucas on the weekends, rides her bike by the cliffs.

She goes to coffee shops with Teresa to read and do homework, usually it always fails. She parties on Fridays and Saturdays and dances with Alma. She has adventures with Rocio on the bus. Victor gives her free smoothies at the café next to the dining hall because he works there.

Slowly and surely she's finding her footing. She's finding ground beneath her feet. She's finding love in herself for herself. She's finding her worth and strength. She hasn't felt this great since she left the boys.

 **49.**

Teresa comments on her paintings. Tells her they are beautiful. She's working on a project. Rocio, who is an art major, takes her to her teacher/mentor. Somehow, she's not sure how, she gets her work up in the gallery.

She comes to the realization one night as she watches the waves crash with Lucas and Alma, that she can't get certain things back, no matter how hard she looks and tries. They came, they went, there is no use crying over spilt milk.

She also realizes as she and Lucas go down stairs into the rocks that the most valuable lessons her boys taught her was to never give up, no matter how the odds are against you and to believe in yourself and your abilities. She cries. She _gets_ it now, that healing stuff.

 **50.**

She finds herself visiting Victor more and more and talking to him at night whenever he stays over. She goes with Teresa for Thanksgiving. But Teresa tells her they don't celebrate it because there is nothing to celebrate, except the massacre of Indians.

When they come back, it is to final exams and late nights, random trips to McDonalds or Taco Bell and library stays till 2am.

She spends Winter break with Tatti. Most of them are from Los Angeles so she realizes that they still meet up. There is a trip to Disneyland on a Wednesday, it's the most fun she's had not because it's Disneyland but because she is with this group of people who can be crazy and shameless.

Tatti's parents are a riot, whenever she feels down or homesick her dad always asks her if she wants a beer. Tatti just rolls her eyes and she politely declines. She finds herself going out with Victor, who lives somewhat nearby. He takes her to Homegirl Café and tells her that this is part of a gang intervention program. _Second chances_. It makes her think of Takao.

 **51.**

Their school is six hours away from L.A, they carpool and take the 101 highway and stop at Pismo Beach. Anais wants her to try the clam chowder because it is the most delicious thing she will taste. Lucas agrees. She does, she thinks its okay.

When they are near Salinas they stop once more to go to the place that has the best hamburgers on the planet. Everyone agrees with this. She agrees with them too, In-N-Out, is only in California they tell her.

Santa Cruz, greets them with rain. She doesn't mind the weather so much; it makes her think of Bey City. The next three months will be her last. Suddenly she doesn't want to leave.

She is going to turn twenty-one soon. The moment Tatti finds out, she wants to throw a party and wants to take her out to bars. She tells her she's been legal since she was twenty in Japan. Tatti doesn't care, she's turning twenty-one, perfect excuse to get drunk. She laughs.

 **52.**

She is twenty-one and slightly buzzed and in San Francisco when she sees someone she never thought she'd see again. Kai is sitting at the bar with Yuriy and two pretty girls. She excuses herself from Teresa and goes to him.

She taps him on the shoulder and sees recognition dance in his eyes. She switches to Japanese and tells him that it's good to see him. She's glad that he's doing okay and gives him a brief hug. He tenses and she laughs. Typical Kai.

She lets go and feels herself being pulled away, Teresa is there taking her away and apologizing to Kai. She laughs. She feels lighter. Her heart swells and this time it _doesn't_ ache. It could be the alcohol, she's not sure.

 **53.**

Her time in the U.S, the others don't call it America, is ending. Part of her is happy to be going back to her homeland, the other is sad to be leaving all her friends behind.

Facebook, they tell her.

But she's been in this position before.

She's leaving, and it's bittersweet. She's taking photos, realizations and memories.

 **54.**

She finds herself back in Bey City when she is twenty-nine.

She has her feet on the ground firmly, and her attitude back. She's vulnerable and strong and like Takao, she can now stand on her own.

She's had more conversations with her mom now than she ever did growing up. As she sits on the small wall that surrounds the beach, she thinks about Takao. She hasn't seen him. She wonders about the others and as she stares at the sun, sinking into the water she decides to finish her project.

She tells her mom goodbye and goes back to Kyoto.

Her studio is cluttered with drying canvases. She smiles. She's gotten good reviews in the past years. It was time to come back after a hiatus. She rolls up her sleeves and begins.

 **55.**

She finds herself in New York when she is thiry-one.

Her newest work has been received really well.

 _Hiromi Tachibana: Spirits, Revisited_

None of them are for sell.

She stares at canvases that contain memories of a dragon, a tiger, a tortoise, and a phoenix. There is a wolf, a dark beast, and so many others. In Paris, she ran into the Majestics, with Olivier commending her on her work.

Her favorite stands tall and bigger than all the rest, with all four sacred bitbeasts painted with the outmost care and detail. She knows that if Daichi sees it he'll have a fit for not being included, but the painting is about the bond between Kai, Takao, Max and Rei. She has another one, smaller with Gaia Dragoon included for G-Revolutions.

One of the popular ones, she realized was the one with the wolf. That one is for Yuriy.

She hopes that Takao and the others will see them. These paintings are her magnum opus, her homage to Beyblading and the boys who taught her what it was all about. She will love them forever.

 _GO SHOOT!_

* * *

 **Notes:** Well, what did you guys think? Please review, I spent a lot of time and thought on this. I like Hiromi, and she can be annoying and I have to admit her whole appearance was kind of weird, especially when she started hanging out with the boys. But I felt like she grew as the series progressed, and I'm trying to reflect that in Part One. As for her not having a father, well I took that from the scene in which she's with her mom (I'm assuming that was her mom). They only show that woman. No one else. And they don't really talk. Hiromi talks a lot and never really says anything. You never know anything about her.

This turned out longer than I expected but I didn't want to break it up, I feel like it has to be read with no breaks, otherwise it loses something. Well in any case, I hope you guys enjoyed, and please leave a review.


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